This invention generally relates to an outdoor lighting fixture, and more specifically, to an outdoor lighting fixture with an adjustable focusable beam.
Environmental lighting, particularly outdoor lighting, is well known in commercial or public settings, such as parks and schools. Such lighting has also become increasingly popular for use in private residences, both to enhance the appearance and safety of the outdoor area and for security by eliminating hiding places and unobserved entry points for intruders.
Pathlights in landscape and outdoor lighting systems are placed along walkways and stairs to provide illumination for the safety of persons walking on the path in the dark, and may be located in other areas where a broad wash of light is desired, such as in a planter. Typically, such lights will have a diffuser and/or reflector to prevents the light from shining directly upward into the pedestrian""s eyes, and avoids the creation of shadow lines, both of which can make navigation of the darkened path even more difficult. Reflectors are used to spread and direct a wash of light down onto the pathway. Adjustment of the beam spread can be varied to minimize glare on uphill views and to maximize beam spread on level ground where glare is not an issue. However, the inclusion of such down-reflectors can limit the ability to adjust the beam spread without removing and/or replacing hardware in the fixture or subjecting the fixture to corrosion due as a compromise for making the fixture more readily adjustable.
It would be desirable to provide a pathlight that allows the amount of glare and/or beam width to be adjusted without introducing components that can result in premature failure of the fixtures as well as providing a lighting fixture that are easily maintained.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a compact lighting fixture which has a variable beam spread.
It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture that permits adjustment of beam spread and re-lamping maintenance by loosening a single fastener.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture that is sealed against moisture intrusion and, thus, resists corrosion.
In an exemplary embodiment, the outdoor lighting comprises a stem, a socket assembly disposed in the top of the stem for retaining a halogen lamp, a socket housing, a diffuser and a reflector top. The socket housing has a lower cylindrical portion having a first inner diameter for fitting over the outer diameter of the upper part of the stem, a second cylindrical portion having a second inner diameter larger than the first inner diameter adapted to closely fit over the outer diameter of the cylindrical diffuser lens, and a flared portion joining the lower cylindrical portion to the upper cylindrical portion. The flared reflector fits over top of the diffuser lens and can be sealed, using silicone, epoxy or other sealant, to protect the internal surfaces of the lighting fixture from moisture intrusion. The lower cylindrical portion of the socket housing has a diagonal slot extending upward from its bottom edge with a width greater than a diameter of a locking screw that is screwed into a bore in the side of the stem to form a bayonet-like fastener. When the locking screw is loosened, rotation of the socket housing forces an edge of the diagonal slot against the locking screw, which converts the rotational motion of the socket housing into an axial motion, causing the socket housing, diffuser and reflector to be raised or lowered relative to the stem, and modifying the beam spread depending on the direction of movement. After the desired beam spread is achieved, the fastening screw can be tightened, locking the assembly in place. The same connection can be used to access the halogen lamp for replacement, thus permitting a single tool to be used for adjustment and maintenance of the fixture.
The socket assembly includes a base connector that has a first outer diameter that closely fits within the inner diameter of the stem, which is a hollow tube. A threaded bore in the side of the base connector is aligned with a bore through the side of the stem to receive the fastening screw. The base connector has a second inner diameter for receiving a commercially-available socket. The plastic socket is interference-fit within the second diameter of the base connector and has a first end into which the halogen lamp is plugged and a second end for attachment of conductive wires. Wires are inserted into the second end of the socket making connection with electrical contacts within the socket. The wires extend from the plastic socket, passing through the base connector and stem for connection to a voltage source. The small size of the plastic socket allows the fixture, and particularly the stem, to be quite small and compact, providing a significant range of possible sizes as may be desired for different applications.
For installation, the bottom end of the stem has a threaded connector for connection to a spike that can be inserted into the ground.